Last Sunday our local newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, ran an opinion article about the loss of freedom in America:

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/forum/index.php?ntid=199603

I wrote a response to that, which they printed in today's paper along with a bunch of others. I was pleasantly surprised by how many responses there were, more than usual, and a good number of them agreeing that we have lost too much freedom. Anyway, I thought I'd share my letter (email, actually) here:

Freedom is not free, and one price we all must pay for our freedoms is personal responsibility. It is impossible to have one without the other.

Although the concept of freedom is popular, personal responsibility is often seen as mean-spirited or frightening. It is for that reason that we allow, and even ask for, our freedoms to be eroded. Too often we’d rather live as children with government as our parents, caring for us and insulating us from the risks and responsibilities of life. Some don’t want the responsibility of maintaining a healthy diet so they demand that government remove unhealthy options from the restaurant menu. Others don’t want the responsibility of making their own health care decisions so they favor a government-run system instead of market-based reforms that would allow choice. The list goes on.

Dependence and freedom cannot coexist. The more we look to government to provide for our needs, the safer we may feel, but the more freedom we lose. If we wish to remain free, we must be willing to embrace personal responsibility and keep the power of government to a minimum, not use it as a cure-all for life’s problems.